Combination-rule.



PATBNTED AUG. 2, 1904.

J. E. WERTZ.

COMBINATION RULE. APPLIGATION FILED APB.. 1s, 1904.

NO MODEL.

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y UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

COMBINATION-RU LE.

SPECIFICATIUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,562, dated August2, 1904.

Application led April 13, 1904. Serial No. 202,939. No model.)

To (all whomj it may concern:

Beit known that I, JosEPHE. \VERTZ, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing' at Dickerson Run, in the county of Fayette and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements inCombination-Rules, of which the following' is a specification, referencebeing' had therein to the accompanying' drawings.

This invention has relation to instruments of precision, and has for itsobject to produce a novel instrument combining' in one the functions ofa measure or rule, a compass, and a square.

The measure or rule to which I propose to apply my improvements is arule made in jointed sections, commonly known as a footrule; but myinvention is applicable to any instrument of a like character, and incarrying' my invention into effect, using' the term rule to indicate ajointed measuring' instrument of any description, I provide the rulewith a slotted arc-shaped segment which is pivotally attached to one ofthe sections of the rule, and l provide anothersection of the rule witha thumb-nut, so located that in one position of thel parts it willeng'ag'e with the arc-shaped segment and maintain the sections of therule in any ang'leto which they may be adjusted. In addition to thebefore -mentioned arc-shaped seg'ment and thumb-nut I provide a novelform of joint comprising; a spring-pressed hinge which will sustain thesections of the rule at the middle joint thereof in a position either atright angles or parallel to one another, and I further provide means forlocking the hinges at the intermediate joints of the rule when thelatter is being' used as a compass or dividers, and I shape two ends ofthe rule to pointed form to facilitate the employment of the rule as acompass or dividers.

My invention consists in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a plan view of a rule formed offour jointed sections and embodying my improvements.

Fig'. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the middle portion of the rule,illustrating' the position of the parts when the rule is arranged to beused as a square. Fig'. 3 is a plan view showing' the means for locking'the intermediate joints. Fig'. 4 is a transverse sectional view on theline 4 @L of Fig'. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a partof the rule illustrated in Fig. '1, showing the means for securing thearc-shaped segmental attachment in fixed position. Fig'. 6 is a sideelevation of the arc-shaped segmental attachment and that part of therule upon which the same is pivoted; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary planView of the middle portion of the rule, showing' the hinge at that partin position which it occupies when the sections of the rule are extendedin alinement with one another.

The rule is composed of four sections l 2 3 1I, the sections i and 3,which when the rule is extended constitute the end sections, beingbeveled on their outer edges, as shown at 5 6, to form points. Thesections 1 2 are jointed together by a hinge 7 and the sections 3 arejointed together by a similar hing'e 8, while the sections 2 and LI arejointed together by a hinge 9. rIhe hinge 9 is constructed somewhatafter the manner of the hinges usually employed at the middle joint ofthe rulethat is to say, it is composed of overlapping' segmental plates,which are pivotally connected by a pintle or rivet 10, the one platebeing secured to the section 2 and the other plate being' secured to thesection LL. In my improved construction these plates are formed withflat sides 11 1Q, and in the section Q a bent spring 13 is arranged, thesaid spring being bent twice at right ang'les on its ends, so as toprovide a flat tongue 14, which engages with the fiat side l2 of thehinge when the arms of the latter are arranged at right angles lto oneanother, as shown in Fig. 2. The section 4f is formed with a lug on itsend,

which when the rule is extended so that the sections 2 and 4C are inalinement with one another overlaps the tongue 14 of the spring 13, thesaid tongue in that position resting upon the flat side l2 of the hingeand the spring in this position serving to hold vthe rule extended,asshown, and preventing it from closing accidentally.

rIhe arc-shaped plate 15 is pivotally attached at 16 to the section 4and when the rule is closed rests in a recess 17, the said arc-shapedplate being provided with an arc-shaped open slot 15'. A ythumb-nut 18is located in a curved slot 19 in the section 2, the said thumbnut beingprovided with a pivoted handle 20, which when the rule is not in usefolds down, so as to lie flush with or below the surface of the upperside of section 2; but it can be turned up, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 3, when it is desired to operate the nut. The hinges 7 8, by meansof which the sections 1 2 and 3 4 are jointed together, are also of theordinary and well-known construction; but in order to sustain the saidsections in their open position I form in the sections 1 2 and 3 4dovetail slots 21, and I t in these slots slidable rabbets 22, which aresomewhat shorter than the coinciding slots of the sections 1 2 and 3 4and which serve when moved along in the slots to the position shown inFig. 3 to maintain the hinged joints at these positions rigid.

The device shown and described herein is used as follows: The rule ismarked off in feet and inches on its edges, as shown, and the arc-shapedplate 15 is marked in degrees on one edge, as indicated at 23. The rulecan be used in the manner of any ordinary rule, the same being' held inthe extended position by spring 13, as shown 'in Fig. 7, and the joints7 8 being, if desired, made vrigid by sliding the rabbets 22 along inthe slots 21 until they overlap the joints.

If it be desired to use the rule as a compass or dividers, thearc-shaped plate l5 is swung around and passed into the slot 19 ofsection 2 and the arms of the rule locked at any angle to one another atwhich they may be placed by turning down the thumb-nut 18 upon thearc-shaped plate 15, the divisions on the arc-shaped plate indicatingthe angle to which the arms of the rule now constituting a compass maybe adjusted. Vhen arranged in this manner, the hinges 7 are preventedfrom closing by sliding the rabbets 22 along in the slots 21 until theyoverlap the joint between the sections 1 2 and 3 4. If it be desired touse the instrument as a square, the sections 2 4 are turned on themiddle hinge until they assume the position shown -in Fig. 2-that is, atright angles to one anotherthis point of adjustment being easily securedby the spring 13, which when the said arms have arrived at or near aright angle pressing upon the Hat surface 12 of the hinge 9 brings thearms to the desired position when they have been spread to approximatelyright angles one to the other, the thumb-nut and the arc-shaped segmentbeing then utilized, as before described, to sustain the arms in thisposition.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of two flatrule-sections, a hinge connecting such sections, one of the sectionsbeing formed with an arc-shaped recess in one of the flat sides and theother of said sections being formed with a slot on one of its flatsides, an arc-shaped, graduated and slotted plate pivotally secured inthat section having a recess and adapted to lie in said recess when infolded position and in the slot in the other section when in extendedposition, and a thumb-nut located in said slot with its head below theplane of the side of the rule-section, said nut being adapted to engagesaid slotted plate.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination in a rulecomposed of four sections, a hinge connecting the middle sections, saidhinge having a fiat side, a spring arranged on one of said middlesections and adapted to bear on said flat side, when the middle sectionsare at right angles to one another, an arc-shaped slotted plate arrangedin a recess in and pivotally secured to one of said sections, athumb-nut arranged in fixed position in a slot adapted to receive saidplate on the other of said sections and adapted to engage said slottedplate, hinges connecting the middle sections with the end sections, andmeans for locking the last-named hinges when the several sections are inthe extended position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of two hingedrule-sections, an arc-shaped slotted plate pivotally attached to onesection and located in a recess in the side thereof, a thumb-nut havinga pivotal handle, said thumb-nut being located in a slot in the othersection and the pivoted handle of the nut, when folded down, lying belowthe plane of the surface of the section on which said nut is carried.

In testimony whereof I ai'X my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH E. WERTZ.

I/Vitnesses:

H. C. EVERT, K. H. BUTLER.

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